The Man, Sort Of
by ShadesofImagination
Summary: Even as an action figure, The Captain always had a plan. In hindsight, however... he probably could have come up with a better one. Toy Story inspired fill for AvengersAssemble Meme on LJ. Tony/Steve.


**Okay, a prompt fill I did for Avenger's Assemble on lj. It was too cute to ignore and I hope the OP liked what they got. **

**Prompt: Partly inspired by Toy Story...**

**The first and only genuine toy that Tony Stark got from his father was a Captain America action figure. Throughout his childhood, toy!Cap was little Tony's best friend and (very secretly) he has kept that toy all these years.**

**Toy!Captain America has watched Tony grow up, mostly alone. He's glad that Tony has some real, non-toy friends now, but he knows that, underneath it all, the billionaire still has this hole inside him. He believes that the real Captain America is the person who can fill that hole.**

**Only problem is: how can he play matchmaker to the oblivious soulmates when toy rules prohibit him being seen moving independently? With Stark Avengers Tower's JARVIS-controlled security, too!**

**….**

**The Man…Uh, Sort of…With a Plan…**

Though years had passed and Tony Stark had grown from a brilliant child into a teenager and then into an even more brilliant man, The Captain had stayed by his side. As a toy, he'd always known that his lifespan was limited. One day, the child would set him on a shelf and he'd be forgotten, left to become just another trinket to gather dust. At least, that was how he'd expected things to go...

It seemed that, no matter the age, Tony still loved him and through the many locations he'd been hidden, Tony always came to see him at least once a week, if only to say hi in secret. On rare occasions he found himself set on the desk, listening to slurred confessions and jumbled words late into the night. Despite knowing his owner was very capable, he still worried for him but...what could a toy do? With no way to actively change things, he did just what Tony seemed to hope he'd do: he listened and silently offered advice he wished could be heard.

When the Avengers came together, a little spark of hope blossomed in The Captain's chest. There were people around, intelligent ones even, that Tony could hopefully find some common ground with. Thankfully, he wasn't disappointed and Bruce Banner turned out to be just as awkward as Tony made him out to be but equally brilliant as well, challenging even. Thor, though slightly odd in his own opinion, seemed fun if nothing else, enjoying a lot of the same leisurely pursuits that Tony did. Clint and Natasha he hadn't heard much about and it was hard to sneak around when those two were present with their keen sense, but he assumed they as well could be counted as friends.

And then... there was Steve.

Even weeks later, he still refused to classify them as the same person. They weren't - end of story. He was a toy and Steve was a man. Even being created in his image, their personalities were probably at least a little different. After all, the real Captain America wasn't made of plastic and other odd materials.

But, biological make up aside, Steve was different and after sneaking around enough, it was clear that he wasn't the only one who thought so.

After years of knowing Tony, The Captain knew what a look like that meant. He'd seen it one too many times, usually in the direction of a woman completely unsuitable in every way, and had his reservations at first. Steve was from a very different time period. Men simply didn't love other men openly that many years ago. Hell, he didn't even know if this 'modernized' Steve would react favorably to just the thought!

Still... he had to admit he did think they were rather...fitting. Even his plastic eyes could see that Tony was missing something, an important piece in his life. Steve Rogers just happened to fit into that place very nicely with his quieter nature and strong sense of right and wrong. Tony could probably use a little of that optimism too... and a good smack of that common sense when he was out doing something reckless. Again.

Unfortunately, they were the only ones who couldn't see just how perfect they were for each other. This...was a problem.

Being only eight inches tall, there wasn't a whole lot he could do, realistically speaking. He could plan... he could even stoop to scheming... but when it came to taking action he was drawing a bit of a blank. Honestly, he was rather disappointed in himself and more than a little frustrated with the rules regarding his independent movement around the building.

In short, two days after Steve moved into Stark Tower, The Captain set himself a new goal: get those two together. Somehow. Without being caught. And without Jarvis sounding an intruder alert.

…**.**

**Take One: Just Go For It!**

As far as plans went... this was not one of his better ones. Still, it was simple, easy to remember and just about as close to winging it as he could probably get. As he stepped carefully through the air ducts, mindful of the little drips of condensation, he tried to remind himself that the best laid plans were the simplest and usually right in front of one's face.

Clutching the torn piece of paper to his chest, he glanced down the intersection. According to the map he'd found, the drop to the kitchens was on the left, the upper bar was on his right and the universal rec room would be forward. Hopefully, Steve was still there watching those Classics he loved so much.

Nodding to himself, he trudged on ahead.

A light finally came into view and he couldn't help a grin of excitement. If this all worked out, stepping in air conditioner water and freezing his tights right off would be worth it. Jogging up to the grate, he peered out.

Ah hah! There he was, sitting on the sofa in his usual place.

Quickly, he glanced over the note, wincing a bit at the shaky penmanship. Hopefully Steve wouldn't notice. The only thing he could find to write with was a thick, knock off pen that Tony probably stole on accident. The lines were a little wobbly and there was a pretty large gap between the 'e' and 'v' in 'Steve' but-

Oh, it didn't matter.

Folding it up, he shoved it out the duct and whistled to get the man's attention. When Steve's head turned, he huddled into a shadow as best he could, wanting to see his plan through to the end.

He watched as Steve stood and made his way over, glancing around.

"Look down, idiot," he mutter. "Down. On the flooooor."

When Steve did just that he was, admittedly, a little surprised. Maybe they had some kind of a connection.

The piece of paper was unfolded and his heart sank a little at the confused look that crossed the man's face. It quickly perked up however when Steve pulled out his cellphone. A small part of him did an itty-bitty dance at that, glad to see that he was getting more comfortable with the technological difference.

Tony's tiny voice came from the phone and he resisted the urge to bite his nails.

"What time did you want to have dinner?" Steve asked.

A frown crossed his face a moment later and The Captain's shoulders sank a bit at the confusion Tony probably expressed. Damn that man... could he not just go with it?

The conversation was over quickly after that but he ended up walking away with a grin none the less. The disappointment on Steve's face had been very obvious. Even if the man didn't know it yet, The Captain was sure he'd figure it out given enough time and he felt a little less apprehensive knowing he'd actually wanted that dinner to happen.

….

**Take Two: Get Them in a Room Together...**

Flopping back on the desk, The Captain made a quiet sound of frustration. Writing on one's own foot was tough business. Especially when the marker was almost larger than he was... All he'd managed was a 'T'.

Glancing at the marker, he shook his head. Forget it. He wasn't a contortionist. Steve should be able to deduce that the only 'T' in the building was Tony. In the back of his mind, he felt a little bad. He knew he was a secret; one that Tony kept very well.

…but desperate times called for desperate measures.

And he only had one more plan. So one of these needed to work or he was back at the drawing board and, so far, his skills with a pen had been less than spectacular.

Hopping up, he jumped off the desk and made a beeline for the door. Happily, Tony wasn't in the habit of being very efficient in the early morning. The door had been left open as the man had mumbled and stumbled himself right toward the very lavish bathroom. Really, did one need all those jets in a tub?

Shaking his head, he gave himself a mental slap. He was on a mission here and Tony in the bathtub had no real relevance at this point.

Darting down the hall, he scrambled into the elevator just as Thor stepped forward. Silently, he thanked whatever God that wasn't Thor that Asgardians were early risers... and had an obsession with modern music. He could probably scream his little lungs out and Thor wouldn't even flinch with how loud those earbuds were. The ride was smooth, thankfully, and he followed the large man out when he stopped at the gym.

More of the excitement from his last attempt welled up and his hands shook just a bit. Steve should be in the back, jumping that silly rope and all he needed to do was throw himself down on the floor, 'T' clearly visible, and Steve's manners should do the rest. After all, it was only polite to return lost things.

Especially well loved, rather old, toys.

Clearing the distance easily, he bit back a giddy laugh and did exactly that.

With exuberance that would make Tony proud, he threw himself face first onto the mat right behind Steve and prayed to God the man wouldn't jump on his head.

…**.**

**Take Thre-**

Okay, no.

Sitting back, The Captain grinned openly, wincing slightly when he went to stretch. His arm still ached and Tony hadn't convinced Pepper to sew up his shirt yet, but the repairs to the rest of him were looking pretty good. If he had to rate his owner, he'd give him a six on skill with home repairs to plastic and some hard to pronounce fiber. But, he'd give him a six hundred on love.

Being jumped on by the famous Captain America had been worth it.

He'd been correct in assuming that Steve would seek out Tony first - thank God - and the resulting scramble for tools and a database of knowledge on how to fix vintage toys had evidently been all that the two needed to get started on their budding relationship.

Apparently, Steve thought it was rather...cute... that Tony kept that him all those years. And Tony, in turn, came to the sudden realization that, even as a child, no one had ever called him cute. To be honest, he still wasn't sure what that had to do with much of anything, but the two had laughed over it and a dinner date had been secured. When Steve finally left and Tony flopped down in the chair adjacent to him, he was pleased to note the red tint to the man's cheeks and ears. Positive he wasn't sick, The Captain allowed himself a mental victory dance.

In hindsight, he would admit that maybe his plan hadn't been the greatest. But it had worked and that was all that mattered. In the end, Tony had been too preoccupied to wonder how he'd gotten down to the gym and Steve had been too caught up in Tony to dwell too much on apologizing over and over and over, which... even broken and half naked, he thought was a good thing.

He could forgive anything for love but some things were just more important.

...Okay, maybe not anything... but most things. Like being stepped on. Once.

...And... if he were honest with himself, he would have to admit that even though he'd been broken, he had gotten something out of the oddly orchestrated deal. He really wasn't as useless as he'd thought. Even he could see when people needed a hand and now he was a little more confident that he could do more than listen. With a plan and his little plastic heart in the right place, he could do anything.

…

**End.**


End file.
